Whether it is between Jaden McDaniels and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (then Nickeil Alexander-Walker against his cousin) or between Lu Dort and Anthony Edwards, or even Chet Holmgren and Rudy Gobert among the giants, this duel at the top of the Western Conference table present on all floors. Behind a very good SGA at 11 points, OKC is in the lead, up to 9 points ahead. But Minnesota does not deflate despite this record first quarter for OKC, and remains five lengths behind, after a final 3-point shot at the buzzer from Edwards (40-35).
Customary to complicated starts, the Wolves began to get off to a good start in the second quarter, while the entry of Vasilije Micic did the locals a lot of good (2 points and 3 assists in 3 minutes).
The Thunder created the biggest gap of the match: +11, with Lu Dort hitting the mark from afar (3/4). Above all, they toughen up the defensive game, holding Minny to 6/14 on shots over the period. Rudy Gobert slams a big dunk on Chet Holmgren's head but it's OKC which leads at the break (66-60), including 32 scored in the paint.
Expensive Wolves
Returning from the locker room, Chris Finch stopped the game quickly, for fear of taking a shine, facing an aggressive and skillful Chet Holmgren, author of 9 quick points. It works because his flock comes back again (again and again), at -5. But, like Naz Reid on the sidelines, and KAT still limping, the Wolves can only chase the score, pushed back to -15! And an SGA definitely in spirit, with 30 pawns in as many minutes at the end of the third quarter (102-91).
Silent since the start of the second quarter, Jalen Williams does it again in the last quarter for a personal 6-0 which offers the biggest gap of the match to his team: +17. The Wolves are on the edge of the precipice, in particular because of their 16 lost balls. And they definitely fall there while SGA reaches, then happily exceeds thirty.
Probably physically blunted by a tough schedule, the Wolves lost quite clearly to Oklahoma City which bounced back after its home defeat against the Lakers (129-106).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander untenable. Neither Jaden McDaniels sent on a commando mission (but soon paralyzed by mistakes), nor his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who knows him by heart, nor even Anthony Edwards who will tackle it at the end of the match, will have succeeded. SGA will still have been elusive with its game full of changes of pace and feints. The All-Star leader of the Thunder finished with 34 points and 9 assists, 14/19 on shots, most of them in the paint, or at worst, from mid-distance. A new masterclass.
– A record first quarter for OKC. With 40 points at a very good 14/19 on shots, including 5/9 at 3-points, and only 2 lost balls, the Thunder attack was at full speed from the start against the leaders of the Western Conference . It's quite simply the best first quarter of the season for Oklahoma City.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
